Two appointments made to the Transportation Safety Board of Canada

Two representatives, Kathleen Fox and Faye Ackermans, have been appointed to new positions at the Transportation Safety Board of Canada. Fox, who has enjoyed a four-decade career in the aviation sector, including membership of the Transportation Safety Board since 2007, will become the board's next chairperson. Ackermans, a 25-year veteran of the rail industry, has been appointed as a part-time member of the Transportation Safety Board.

"Ms. Fox's previous experience on the board and senior management experience in the public sector will be of significant value to the board," said Peter Van Loan, leader of the government in the House of Commons. "As well, Mrs. Ackermans' extensive background in the field of rail safety will be a valuable asset to the board."

Ackermans has 25 years of experience in the rail industry and more than 15 of those years with senior positions in rail safety and regulatory affairs. She began her career with Canadian Pacific in 1982 as a mechanical planning analyst. She went on to work as the director of mechanical regulations in 1991 and then as the director general of regulatory affairs for Canadian Pacific from 1992 to 1995. Ackermans then worked as general manager of safety & regulatory affairs from 1996 to 2008. In this role, she was responsible for corporate-wide oversight for safety management, security planning, operations regulatory compliance and occurrence investigations. During that period, Canadian Pacific reduced train accidents by 65 percent and personal injuries by more than 70 percent. Her tenure includes the only employee fatality-free year in Canadian Pacific's history.

Fox's four-year term will begin August 21, 2014 and Ackermans four-year appointment is effective immediately.

Van Loan said, "I want to take this occasion to thank Wendy Tadros for her many years of service to the Transportation Safety Board, including the last nine as its chairperson."